EAGER GENEROSITY
The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
1 CHRONICLES 29:9 (CEV)
David and the people were very happy that so much had been given to the LORD, and they all celebrated.
2 CORINTHIANS 9:7 (MSG)
I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.
SUMMARY SENTENCE
God loves it when his people are eager in their generosity.
PRAYER
Gracious God, I'm energized when I see how generous you are. I wish that my own generosity was so energizing. I'm too often motivated by shame or outside pressure. Give me clarity of mind so that I can think clearly about the needs around me and respond with eager generosity. I'm going to follow your lead. Amen.
*ABOUT THE
DAILY TEXTS
The Daily Texts have been published by the Moravian Church since 1731. In 2015 I started posting these Bible verses for my spiritual formation students at Pacific Islands University. In the process of responding to the verses, I found the rhythm of looking for a common thread and writing a prayer based on that key idea to be helpful for my own soul. The prayers are more or less modeled on the TRIP method, which is what I ask my students to do in their journaling. ~ Brad Boydston
TRANSLATIONS
ABP = Authorized Boydston Paraphrase -- a freestyle biblical adaptation -- somewhere between paraphrase, commentary, and sermon
CEB = Common English Bible (©2011, the Common English Bible)
CEV = Contemporary English Version (©1995, American Bible Society)
MSG = The Message (©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson)
NIRV = New International Reader's Version (©1996, 1998, Biblica)
NIV = New International Version (©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, Biblica)
NLT = New Living Translation (©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, Tyndale House Foundation)
